TEHNIKUM

A brand new neon sign lit up on Bolshaya Dmitrovka street announcing the arrival of Tehnikum, a new restaurant by the White Rabbit Family. Apart from the eponymous “White Rabbit,” the only Russian restaurant that ever made it to the World’s Best 50 list, “the family” owns Chicha, Selfie, Zodiac and other establishments. White Rabbit Family is headed by Boris Zarkov, while the ingenious chef Vladimir Mukhin is responsible for the food.

The menu at Tehnikum is essentially a new take on all the blockbuster dishes from other restaurants of “the family.” This is the case when repetition is not boring, but exciting. The menu is very eclectic: pastrami is grilled and served with smoked cherries while cucumbers are stuffed with mashed potatoes, cream cheese and smoked eel. In low carb section of the menu you can find crab taco on iceberg salad – you won't have to count the calories if you are into sports. If you come with a big group of people there's a section “to share”, you can try different taste combinations, while sipping on a glass of white wine.

Unusual for a Moscow restaurant, you can get filtered water for free. If you are in a mood for something more exotic, order water infused with pineapple and sorrel or rhubarb and strawberry. It's also a healthy drink, perfect for detox.

Vladimir Mukhin himself is overseeing the processes at the kitchen while the chef Vitaly Istomin is responsible for the brilliant execution of the dishes. The menu turned out to be quite inventive with such interesting combinations as stracciatella with cherries or smoked duck with truffle sausage.

The design is quite contemporary, with some industrial elements, although the chairs and armchairs are a 1950s throwback, while Dmitry Aske’s wall painting looks futuristic. Floor to ceiling windows are wide open in the summer and lead to a small terrace, where diners can watch the people walking down this popular street.

We recommend: humus with pita bread; pickled peppers with romesco sauce; stracciatella with strawberries and cherries; crab and mango taco; fried artichokes; halibut with girolle mushrooms in romesco sauce; for dessert – fondant with Russian dulce de leche and banana ice cream and a must try – mango khinkali dumplings!

Cuisine: fusion.

Atmosphere: lively/trendy.

Crowd: designers, editors, creative tipes, it-girls, white collar workers.

Key info: speakeasy bar in the basement will open in the fall of 2016.

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